Every tray starts from a valid word
The tray generator chooses a six-letter entry from the approved word list and shuffles those six letters. That guarantees at least one complete six-letter solution exists before the round begins.
If a shuffle accidentally leaves the source word in its original order, the generator swaps letters so the tray begins as a puzzle rather than an immediate answer.
A fixed dictionary keeps rounds consistent
The games use a pinned snapshot of the ENABLE word list. The build process filters it to lowercase alphabetic words from three to six letters, removes duplicates, and sorts the result.
Pinning the source means a word does not silently become valid or invalid because an external list changed overnight.
How a submitted word is checked
- The word must exist in the approved dictionary.
- It must contain at least three letters.
- Every letter must be available in the tray.
- A repeated letter can be used only as many times as it appears.
- A word already found in the round cannot score twice.
Shared multiplayer trays
Word Duel gives both players the same seed and round number, so each side creates the same letter tray. The server tracks when a tray is cleared and advances both players together.
Shared input removes a luck advantage: the contest is about finding words from the same letters under the same clock.
Why some valid-looking words are absent
No compact game dictionary contains every proper noun, regional spelling, abbreviation, or newly coined term. A rejected word may be meaningful outside the selected lexicon while still being unavailable for scoring.
Using one documented source is more consistent than accepting words differently from round to round.